Village of Wisdom
Project Title
For project support of the Journey to Instructional Liberation program, RFP Yr 2
Date
Sep. 14, 2023
Duration
18 months
Description
Traditionally, family engagement practices have not prioritized Black parents’ valuable insights and wisdom, essential for creating culturally affirming learning environments for Black students. Village of Wisdom (VOW), a nonprofit established in 2014, addresses this issue by empowering educators to integrate Black parents’ wisdom into instructional decisions through innovative parent-engagement strategies and tools. With funding from the Corporation’s RFP on family engagement to support student learning, VOW collaborated with Black parent leaders and stakeholders in Durham, Wake, and Orange County, NC, to develop culturallyaffirming instructional strategies that foster effective home-school partnerships. With renewed Corporation support, VOW will continue to increase Black parent and educator knowledge of the Black Genius Framework and enhance parent advocacy and educator efficacy in implementing culturally affirming instructional practices.
Project Title
For project support for The Black Genius Framework; provides educators, parents, and youth a structure for strength-based conversations about the healthy development of a Black child considering both their intellectual and racial identities
Date
Jun. 09, 2022
Duration
16 months
Description
Traditionally, family engagement practices have not centered on the humanity and wisdom of Black parents. Black parents’ wisdom as experts of their children has usually been an underutilized resource for creating culturally affirming learning environments for Black students. Through its innovative parent-engagement strategies and tools, Village of Wisdom, a nonprofit founded in 2014 to help schools ignite parents’ power to support their children’s learning, enables educators to successfully integrate Black parents’ wisdom into instructional decisions. With Corporation support through the request for proposals on family engagement to support student learning, Village of Wisdom will train educators and parents to use their culturally affirming learning program, the Black Genius Framework, to ground conversations that facilitate the co-construction of learning environments that foster student socio emotional and academic development. This project will result in Black parents serving as reflective practice partners to teachers on their culturally affirming instructional practices.